The Ball
The Invitation
The sudden engagement of the Honorable Frederick Busslewish, eldest child and heir of Lord George of Devonshire and Mr Trenton Combe-Magnus, an American of utterly common stock but heir to an astronomically large fortune has astonished all of the ton.
The end of Parliment and the improving weather means much of society has already returned to their country estates for the summer - however, your family was reluctant to leave town before the last ball of the season. The Duchess of Devonshire is overjoyed at the news of the engagement of her only grandchild and has sent personal invitations to a number of families in the hopes that her grandchild's good fortune may prove an edifying example to any unmarried persons still residing in their London homes.
Someone in your family will know one of the Duchess, Lord George or the Honourable Frederick Busslewish personally. The invitation has been made to them and their family.
​
The Location
The ball is to be held in the modest but exquisitely located, London home of the Duchess of Devonshire. She is a close friend of the hostess, and has offered her home in In her day, she was a popular figure at court, an intimate friend of the late King and a devotee of political causes. She hasn't attended society gatherings in several years, leaving her social duties in the care of her son, Lord George, Baronet of Devonshire. He is a dreadful society fussbucket, of unflinchingly correct manners - and he has likely convinced his mother to throw open her home simply so he can have the pleasure of knowing his utter superiority to the rest of the company.
The Opportunity
All the remaining eligible debutants of the season and their chaperones will be gathered under one roof. This is the perfect opportunity, indeed the last opportunity, to find a partner before the Season ends. Anyone who has still failed to catch the attention and devotion of another is clearly an undesirable spinster, doomed to end their days a burden on their family. You have five hours to dance, flirt, connivance, scheme, gamble and bargain your way into a good marriage, for the good of your family, or into true love, for your own happiness and satisfaction.
The Ball
The ball will occur mostly in the large ballroom[the church hall], with some spillover into an adjacent parlour [the garden room]. Chairs will be available in both rooms.
There will be multiple sets of simply called dances throughout the evening, allowing debutant couples to converse and flirt with each other, while the chaperones and family heads negotiate suitable alliances. Each dance will be walked through in advance and requires no experience in dancing.
Gaming tables will be set up at the side of the room, and in an adjacent quieter space, with servants on hand to remind the characters of the rules. Gambling will offer characters the chance to make or lose their fortunes.
A selection of period parlour games will be played in the parlour, to encourage the mixing of characters and the potential for risque behaviour.
A buffet will be served at the mid-point of the evening. A separate dessert course will follow later in the evening. A timetable is available here.
Engagements are likely to be announced throughout the evening; after dinner, the remaining debutants will be presented to the Duchess.
Chaperones will have access to additional sources of gossip and information, to aid them in tracking who is currently engaged and who is the most suitable match of the remaining pool.